Archives West Finding Aid

The Ford Motor Company was incorporated in June 1903 with John S. Gray and Henry Ford as its first president and vice president. Shortly after, the company sold its first car as it continued to produce and assemble automobiles in Detroit, Michigan. Henry Ford eventually became president of the company in 1906, and it was under his direction when the Model T first became available to consumers in 1908. Henry Ford would become renowned for his novel experiment in assembly practices and methods that increased efficiency. The first experiments were put in motion in 1913.

The Model T Ford continued to sell as the Ford plants worked towards the assembly of their one millionth automobile, a milestone that they achieved in 1915. This famous model sold consistently into Edsel Ford’s presidency up until 1927. In the early 1940s, Ford produced its first jeep automobile, but production of cars shut down soon after due to WWII. The company then switched to producing B-24 bombers for the war effort. When Edsel Ford died in 1943, Henry Ford stepped into the presidency once again until his grandson could take over in 1945.

The company continued to grow and expand over the next few decades as it opened the sale of its stock and opened a subsidiary called Aeronutronics Systems in the mid-1950s. In the 1960s, Ford Motor Company was beset by two company-wide strikes which both resolved within a month and a half. Lee Iacocca was named president in 1970 as the company neared its 75th anniversary celebration later that decade.